I Will Remember You
by SavedByGrace14
Summary: Derek and Casey have a great life together. Will one moment change it forever? Continuation to Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.
1. Chapter 1

I Will Remember You

Casey Venturi woke up at 7am on Christmas morning. There was always something special that she loved about waking up early every year. When she was little she would go downstairs before her mom got up. She would just stare at the presents wondering what was inside them. Her sister, Lizzie would come down an hour later and they would make guesses at what was in them and whom they were for. It had become a tradition, and she intended to keep it, even though she had her own family now.

"Derek." She spoke softly to her sleeping husband. He seemed to stir a little but did not wake up. "Derek. Its time to wake up." She spoke a little louder but got no response.

"Derek, I am having the baby…"

Derek shot up and wiped his eyes. He looked at the clock and then at Casey. "Nice try, Case. I have been doing some reading. Little Derek isn't due for another 3 months-- at least."

"It got you up, didn't it?"

"I was getting up anyway." He smiled at her and leaned over a planted a tender kiss on her lips. "Why are we awake so early? It's 7. When I was a kid, we woke up around 10 on Christmas."

"Well, I thought we should get a early start. We need to have plenty of time before we go over to Mom and George's."

"Yeah, whatever." As he said this, he seemed to be drifting back into sleep.

"Derek!" She said this in a way that reminded them when they were teenagers.

"I'm awake."

"Oh, come on. I wanna know what you got me for Christmas."

"Who says I got you anything?"

"Because I am the mother of your son… and you know that if you didn't it would be a huge hormonal smack-down."

"True. Remember when last month I forgot to get you those pickled cheese-puffs you wanted? You locked yourself in the bedroom and would not come out until I went to get them." He started chuckling. "That was pretty funny. You were all like 'Derek, I want my cheese-puffs or else I'll never talk to you again. I'll move out of the and take your son with you.'" He looked over to Casey who was not laughing.

"That's not funny."

"Oh, it was hilarious Case."

"Fine, DER. If you want to make fun of me in my hormonal state, maybe I will just take _your_ present back to the store."

"Case."

"Or maybe I will just live with my mom for awhile." Now she was crying.

"I would miss you."

"I am sure you find other sources of entertainment."

"Casey, I wasn't making fun of you." He was trying to calm her down but it was no use.

She got up and headed towards the bedroom door. "I'm going downstairs. You can sleep in if you want." She said this bitterly as she slammed the door.

Derek sighed. She had always been melodramatic but now that she was pregnant, she was 5 times worse. Sometimes he wondered why he ever chose to marry her. It was not likely when they were 15. They hated each other, well-- at least that's what they had always said. Derek never really _hated_ Casey. He just could not stand her. Somehow, when they were 18, they fell in love. Casey actually fell for Derek first. She would make up silly excuses to be with him. No one in the family, including Derek, could figure out why Casey was nice to him all of a sudden. After a year, Lizzie and Edwin caught on. They told Derek, and of course, he had been clueless to the situation. At length, Derek realized that he liked Casey more than just a sister or a friend. They decided to go out their senior year—with their parents' permission. They had secretly been hoping they would get together. Now, here they are… married with a baby on the way. Where did the time go?

Derek decided to go and apologize to his wife. He went downstairs. He smiled when he saw Casey sitting in front of the tree. Many times when they were living together with their parents did Derek found her in that same spot. That is where they first talked about being together—6 Christmas mornings ago.

"_Casey, what are you doing? Do you realize how early it is?"_

"_Nope, I like it. Why are you up this early though?"_

"_I could not sleep."_

"_Oh."_

"_It's your fault, you know."_

"_It's my fault that you cannot sleep?"_

_He sat down by her and they both sat by the Christmas tree._

"_Yep." He said giving her a smirk/smile._

"_Well, it's your fault that I toss and turn at night. I used to be a very sound sleeper."_

"_Why do you toss and turn?"_

"_Why can't you sleep?"_

"_You first." Casey told him._

"_No, you go first." _

"_Fine, on the count of 3, we will state our reasons at the same time. I have seen it in movies and it usually works."_

_He chuckled but agreed to do it._

"_Derek, you count."_

"_Okay, 1"_

_Casey took a deep breath._

"_2"_

_Both Derek and Casey looked very nervous._

"_Should it be on three or after 3?" Derek asked Casey. He was slightly dreading the fact he had to confess._

"_Lets make it after." She smiled at him nervously. They both laughed._

"_3"_

"…"

"_I'm in love with you!" Exclaimed Derek._

"_I love you." Casey said._

_They just stared at each other for a couple moments. Finally Derek started to speak._

"_Really?"_

_Casey bit her lip. "Yeah."_

"_So you would not mind if I kissed you?"_

_She shook her head. "Not at all."_

_He leaned in slowly and his lips met hers. It was a sweet and simple kiss, but there were fireworks. Definitely some spark. They pulled apart and gazed into each other's eyes. _

"_I love you too, Casey." _

Derek walked over and sat by Casey. They just sat there in silence for a few moments. "Case, babe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I believe you, but you don't seem to understand my feelings."

"Your right, I don't. I'm not a woman and I'm not pregnant."

"Exactly. You have no idea how it feels and so you need to be more sensitive."

"Do you want me to get a maternity suit?"

Casey smiled a little. "No, but just try to be a little more nicer to me and the baby."

"I will try my hardest."

"Thanks, Der. I love you, you know."

"I think I do. But I want proof."

"Proof, huh?"

He nodded his head and smiled.

She leaned in and gave him a kiss. It was full of passion and love. He wrapped his arms around her neck and she played with his longish hair. They pulled away after a few minutes.

"You know I love you too, right?" Derek asked.

"MM-Hmm."

"Good, lets not fight anymore."

"Okay."

"Do you want to open my present now?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course…"

"Oh, I can't wait to see Lizzie, Marti and Edwin. I have missed them so much." Casey declared as she climbed in their car.

"Yeah, It'll be nice to see everyone."

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you don't miss your little sister? I know you too well. You are just as excited as I am." They pulled out of the driveway.

"Fine, I miss them very much and I want to see my family. Are you happy now?"

"Overjoyed."

"I'm glad."

Casey opened her mouth to say something else, but a car suddenly pulled out in front of them. A scream came out of Casey's mouth and then she was silent.

Derek woke up about an hour later. He tried to remember what happened but his head hurt.

"Wait, there was a car and we crashed and Casey screamed. Casey." He turned to look towards the passenger seat. Casey was sitting there in her seat belt, but she had a gash in her head. Her head was bleeding profusely and she did not seem conscious.

"Oh My gosh. Casey, wake up! You're ok. You're going to be just fine. Don't leave me, Case. Please don't." He had to call 911. He remembered that he never carried a cell phone and neither did his wife. He rushed out of the car and into the street.

"Someone call 911! There has been a car accident. My wife is not waking up! She might be dead! She's carrying a baby! Someone please help us!"

As soon as he saw someone using a cell phone to call the ambulance he went back to Casey. He tried to get her out of the car, but his own injuries made him weak. He bent down to her stomach. "Hey baby, this is Daddy. Don't be scared. Mommy will be just fine." He gave her stomach a quick kiss and looked back up to his wife. "Case, It's Derek. Don't die on me. I lov…" He passed out on the pavement next to his wife.


	2. Chapter 2

I Will Remember You

Derek woke up in the hospital a week later. His parents stood over him while he opened his eyes. He moaned and groaned but managed to get a few words out.

"Where am I?" He asked to anyone who would answer.

"You are at Toronto Medical Hospital. There was a car cash." George told him; He was concerned that Derek was having a hard time remembering.

"Do you remember the accident, sweetie?" Nora asked Derek.

"How could I forget?" He winced in pain. His head hurt and he felt dizzy, but he wanted to stay awake. His face turned frightened as he remembered seeing Casey with blood streaming down her face. "Where's Casey?!"

Nora looked at him with a sad expression on her face. "Derek…" She began but was cut off by Derek.

"Is she alright? Did she make it?" He asked with pleading eyes. He could not think of losing his wife or their baby who would not survive without her.

"They had to do surgery on her head. She had pieces of glass jammed into her skull. She made it through the operation, but she has not woken up yet." As Nora explained this to him she started weeping. George put his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "It has been a week. A full week. The doctor said that we should start thinking about other options if she does not wake up soon." She could not say anymore and she put her head into her hands.

George decided to finish what his wife was trying to say. "We wanted to wait until you woke up to decide anything. You are her husband. Did she have a living will?"

Derek could not believe what he was hearing. His parents were talking about Casey as if she was dying. He wished he had still been in a deep sleep so he did not wake up to this terrible reality. His wife, the only woman he ever loved outside of blood, was dying. No, it could not be. He won't let it be.

"We both made one when we were married." He replied. "Can we not talk about this right now? I just woke up and you had to tell me that Casey might not live any longer. I can't deal with this. I need space right now. Please leave." He told them in a firm yet quivering voice. He wanted them to leave so they would not see him cry. He did not want them to know that he was scared.

They left and he was alone in his room. Once they were out of sight, he let the tears flow. "NO! This can't be happening. This is all a dream. I'm going to wake up and Casey will be lying next to me snoring." The tears streamed down his face and stained his cheeks. Great, now they would know He'd been crying. The last time he had cried was when his mom died. That was three years ago. He felt stupid crying now, but he could not help it. He wanted Case.


	3. Chapter 3

I Will Remember You

Disclaimer- I do not own Life With Derek, I don't even live in Canada!

It had been 5 days after the accident and Derek was recovering. He suffered some head injury but nothing serious. He was treated for 3 days, and even though he was discharged, he never left the hospital. He stayed by Casey's bedside every night, and only went home to change and eat breakfast. The rest of the family went back home and told him to tell them if she woke up or she got worse. Got worse…that is what he was afraid of. Right now she was in this state of safety, but one moment and she could be gone forever.

"Mr. Venturi, Casey is doing good all things considered. She should wake up any day now," Dr. Brown told him as he gathered his papers.

"The baby?"

"Well, we are not sure at this point actually. I checked her over and I was not sure I felt the baby's pulse. How far along was she?"

"Is she," Derek corrected, "Five months."

"Oh, I see. I will send a prenatal nurse up here as soon as possible. We will take a ultrasound and see what's going on."

"Okay. Thanks," Derek responded tiredly. He wanted her to wake up. He wanted the baby to be okay. Maybe he wanted to many things, but he really needed his wife to be fine.

Dr. Brown left the room. Derek remembered something the nurse told him earlier. _Honey, she can hear you. Don't be afraid to talk to her. I hear and see so many stories of people waking up from commas because someone they loved told them to. _He took Casey's hand and put it against his cheek.

"Casey? How's it going in there? It's Derek. I wanted to let you know that everything's great out here. Our family came to see us, and they left already. Lizzie was crying and Edwin was trying to console her. I think they'll end up following in our footsteps. They make a cute couple.

Marti made you a card. It's really cool, because you know how great of an artist she is and I'm not just saying that because she is my little sister. George and Nora are being the strong ones. Yes, they're even stronger then me. I'm falling apart without you Casey. I would never tell you this, but without you, I'm not right. I'm blubbery and I've not been able to sleep. If you can hear me, come back. We need you. Our baby needs you. I am not even sure if its okay, but it needs you."

Derek let go of Casey's hand and laid his head on the bed. He never had cried so much in his life as he did in these past couple days. He could not help it. When he was with her he was so happy. I guess that meant that he would be the opposite in her absence. Still weeping, he fell asleep.

"Mr. Venturi."

Derek lifted his head to reveal that the doctor was standing over his wife with a somber expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Mr. Venturi, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Derek had a puzzled look on his face but the doctor held the same troubled look.

"Your wife did not make it. She died of severe internal bleeding of the head…" The doctor went on to explain the cause of death but he could not listen.

He looked over at Casey. She was pale and looked like she had been sleeping. The doctor asked if he would like to put the sheet over her face. He just stared at his lifeless wife. Tears streamed down as he kissed Casey on the cheek.

"Mr. Venturi!"

Derek shot his head up this time to find a nurse standing over the bed.

"Yeah?"

"I knew you would like to know that the baby is doing excellent. You were asleep during the ultrasound, but I wanted to wake you up and tell you."

"Thanks."

She quickly exited the room. Derek looked over at Casey who was breathing and still alive. He looked upward and said a quick prayer of thanksgiving before deciding he needed to excuse himself for a while to collect his bearings.

He made his way towards the door but was stopped when he heard noise coming from the bed behind him. "Mom…"

Derek rushed to her side and quickly put her hand in his. "No, This is Derek."

"Derek?" She sounded confused, "What… are you doing… here?" She sounded to weak and tired.

"Case, there was a car crash. You're at the hospital."

She opened her eyes and scanned the room. When her eyes landed on Derek, her faced turned into a puzzled frown. "Derek, did…. you do your hair…. differently today?"

"Case, I've had it like this for years. Remember? You were the one who picked it out."

"Huh? You had short…. hair this morning." She winced in pain and her hand went her stomach. Her eyes got as wide as saucers. "Why am I… fat?"

He laughed. "You're having a baby silly. But not just any baby Case. You're having our baby." He smiled down at her but frowned when she glared at him.

"Der-ek. This is…. some sick joke. This is really low for you. Putting me…. in a hospital, saying there… was a car crash. I bet you put a… pillow under my gown then. Although I never would have… thought you would have… gone with the story that it was your "baby". Did you give me… sedatives… and why does my head hurt so much?

"I'm getting Dr. Brown."


	4. Chapter 4

I Will Remember You

A/N- I love all of you guys that review. You guys are really cool and I try to read all of your stories. Look for reviews, because I believe in equalness; you review my stories, and I review yours. Story time!

Derek ran out of the room and searched the hospital for the doctor. He could not believe that Casey forgot their life together. She thought his hair was supposed to be short. The last time he had short hair was when he was fifteen. A thought hit him like a wave from the Artic Ocean. She could not of forgotten. She might have amnesia. Derek started panicking. He began to think she had brain damage. He thought that maybe she was not going to ever remember what life was like after they fell in love. Thinking about all this made him more determined to find Dr. Brown.

After 5 minutes of franticly walking up and down halls with strangers giving weird glances, Derek found the doctor walking out of a room. Derek went up to him and Dr. Brown instantly noticed his frenzied expression.

"What is wrong?"

"Casey…my wife… She can't remember."

"Really? That is common with head injuries like hers."

"She knows who she is, but she can't remember…um…" Derek had a hard time phrasing this. How was he supposed to explain that she remembers him but not "him?" "She can't remember "us", like when we were married or the baby."

The doctor made a face that made him look like he was deep in thought. "I see. Let's go check this out. This could be more serious than I thought."

"How serious could it get? She'll be okay, right?" Derek asked as they walked towards Casey's room.

"I am pretty sure, Mr. Venturi, but you have remember, she is never out of danger during recovery. She had a tough time waking up and that could mean a number thing. We'll have to do some tests. We'll want to do a MRI and some x-rays. There could be some bleeding of the brain, and we would have to operate if that is the case."

"Oh, wow." They stopped right outside of her room.

Dr. Brown put his hands on Derek's shoulders. "Derek, I understand this will be tough on you, but I will make sure we do the best we can for your wife."

Derek looked into the eyes of the sincere Dr. Brown. "Thanks. She'll be okay. I can feel it."

Dr. Brown released his hold on him and opened to door to Casey's room. Derek followed him in.

"Good evening, Mrs. Venturi. How are you feeling?" He smiled at her but she just gave him a blank look.

"Listen, I don't like being messed with. It's MacDonald. Casey MacDonald."

Dr. Brown looked over at Derek for confirmation. Derek put on a frown and nodded.

"Miss MacDonald… Would you mind if I asked you some questions?"

"If you must."

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"What year is it?"

"2005."

"Where do you live?"

"I live with my mom and my new step-dad. That "thing" behind you is my step-brother." She gave Derek a disgusted look that really hurt him.

"Right… Mr. Venturi, Can I talk to you outside?"

"Yeah, of course." Derek stepped outside with Dr. Brown, his heart still pierced by Casey's cold statement.

"Okay… It seems like we have a case of memory loss that was triggered by emotional or physical trauma. Ms. MacDonald…Venturi thinks she is fifteen because that is the last thing her brain brought up when she woke up. Since it was such an influential time in her life, it was easier to remember than anything else."

This caused Derek to become confused. Their new life together was not as influential enough to remember. Their first date, their first kiss, their wedding…when they bought their home… those were not important enough for Casey's brain to recall. What about the baby? She does not remember the day she found out she was pregnant. What kind of mother-to-be forgets that she has a child growing inside of her? His emotions were a mix of depression and anger.

"We have to go in there and convince her that she's a 24 year old married woman with a baby." Derek finally said quickly to the doctor.

"You can give it a try. I got to set up appointments for those tests. Page me if anything changes."

Dr. Brown walked down the hall leaving Derek standing by the door alone. Derek walked back into his wife's room with newfound willpower to make her remember "them".

"Derek, I was really in a car accident, was I?"

Derek sat in the chair next to the bed. "Yes, Casey."

"Where are mom and George? Why are you the only one here with me?" Panic crossed her face and she looked Derek square in the eyes. "Were they in the accident? Did they die?"

"No… It was only you and I… and well, the baby." He nodded in the direction of her swollen stomach.

"So I am pregnant… Is it Sam's?"

"No. You broke up with Sam 8 years ago."

"So I'm 24…"

Derek smirked at her. "Now you're getting it."

"Well, if I really _am_ 24 and pregnant, who is the father of the baby? Do I have a boyfriend?"

"No Case… You have a husband."

"Oh, really? Where is he?" She peered over Derek to see if anyone was at the door. "I don't see him. Does he care about me? Cuz if he did, he would be at my side day and night trying to help me get my memory back." A tear ran down her cheek and Derek quickly wiped it away.

"Case," He began, "He cares for you very, very much."

"Then why isn't he here?" She half moaned, half wined out.

"He is, Case. He's right here." Derek looked into her eyes and watched as she registered what he was saying. Her eyes turned mad, then sad, then relief and then mad again.

"No… It's not true. Never. It could never be."

"You're hurting my feelings Mrs. Venturi. Am I that bad?"

"I'm sorry Derek, I just don't understand. You hate me."

"No, I love you."

"Well, I don't love you…like that. Okay? You're my annoying stepbrother, not my lover…Ewe."

"Sorry you feel that way because, whether you like it or not, we live together and I am taking you home with _me_ when you get better." He got up and walked towards the door. "And Casey, that _is _my baby."


	5. Chapter 5

Double Dare With a Twist

Three days passed and after many threats and determined glances from Derek, Casey reluctantly let Derek take her home. She was out of danger now and was in full recovery, but she could not regain all of her memory.

"Um, Hey.. We have to stop my Mom and Dad's. I have to pick up something," Derek asked Casey as he packed up her clothes he bought her while she was in the hospital. He had bought her a new robe and a couple pairs of PJs. He then joked about how she would be the richest looking woman in the whole hospital. She accepted the clothes but did not know what to think of his kindness.

"That's fine," She said numbly as she cuddled into her cotton nightgown.

"Are you okay?" He stopped folding, went over to her bed and put a hand on her shoulder. This sudden gesture made her filch, but she relaxed after he looked into her eyes with concern. She was not used to this. Derek was nice to her when they were younger, but never like this. I guess she had to get used to it.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired." She looked up into his brown eyes and saw something she never noticed. She saw love. Derek _really_ did love her. He cared. She was married to Derek Venturi, her arrogant, selfish, womanizing stepbrother. She looked down to her stomach and remembered that she was pregnant. If she was married to Derek and she was pregnant, it must be their baby. Derek, a father? Derek and Casey, parents? This proved to be too much for Casey and she fell faint into her bed.

Casey was sitting on her bed writing in her journal. Sam just asked her out. He wanted to be her boyfriend. Casey was to be a girlfriend. She was too ecstatic. She wondered why Derek was so mad though at first. She figured it was just because he did not want her to mess up his relationship with his best friend, but that's silly. Sam can have a girlfriend and a best friend. Maybe Derek did not want her to be happy. It would be harder to torture her if she was happy all the time. Either way, Casey would not let it get in the way.

_There was a knock at the door. _

"_Yeah?"_

"_Case, It's Derek."_

_She got up from her bed and opened the door to a very serious Derek. She was going to say a snotty remark, but when she saw the look on his face she refrained._

"_What do you want?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_Then why are you in my doorway?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he just walked her into her room._

"_There. I'm not in your doorway." He smirked at her._

"_Derek, just tell me what you want so you can leave."_

"_Are you going to be happy with Sam?"_

_The question surprised her and she took a few moments before answering her now embarrassed looking stepbrother._

"_I think so. I mean Sam and I are different, but in good ways. I think it will work out."_

"_Okay. That's all I needed." He made his way to the door._

"_Wait."_

_He turned around to face Casey._

"_Why did you ask?" She asked him._

"_Because when you're happy, I'm happy." He half mumbled his words, but Casey could still understand him. She smiled at him. He looked down at his feet and blushed._

"_Derek, That's so sweet."_

_Before she knew what was happening, Derek looked back up and his Derek-self kicked back in. _

"_Uh yeah, whatever. I don't know why Sam likes you. Is he aware of your strange eating habits?"_

_Casey gave him a dirty look and he laughed. _

"_See Ya, Klutzilla!" He went out of the room and closed the door behind him. _

_Casey smiled to herself. Derek has a soft spot. She giggled and went back to her journaling. _

"Casey!"

She realized she was sleeping. That was the last thing she could remember of her and Derek. The rest was blank.

"Case, wake up!"

Casey opened her eyes and found Derek over her with that same look of concern and love.

"Derek?"

"Your okay."

"Yeah. I am."

"Thank goodness. I was getting worried." Derek reached out his hand to smooth her hair. This time his touch was relaxing and she leaned back into her pillows.

"Derek?" She needed to ask him one thing.

"Yeah babe?"

"Do you _really_ love me?" She looked down, afraid to meet his eyes.

"Case, look here." He put his other hand under her chin and her eyes met his. "My darling Casey, I will always love you because you taught me how."

She just stared into his eyes for the longest time before he moved in to kiss her. She closed her eyes, but something held her back.

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"I just want to go home."


	6. Chapter 6

**I Will Remember You**

The car ride to George and Nora's was silent and awkward. Since Casey was so tired, she did not want to start a conversation, and Derek was too busy paying attention to the road. He regretted trying to kiss Casey. He thought it was the right time and he had forgotten momentarily that she could not remember loving him. She did not love him. That hurt him. How could he love her so much but not have her love him back. _I guess I will have to make her fall in love with me again. _He opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He did this a few more times before Casey took notice.

"Derek, do you want to say something?"

"Uh, yeah. Case, I'm sorry that I tried to kiss you. I did not know how you would react."

"Well, we're married," Casey said while Derek smirked. At least she was acknowledging the fact that they were together, "It was… is normal for us, I guess."

Derek kept smirking. "It was a very normal thing to do."

Casey's face turned red and she turned away from him and looked out the window. "Anyway, you are forgiven. Don't expect me to love you though. Don't expect much of anything from me." She looked down at her stomach that was bulging from underneath her oversized T-Shirt.

Derek turned to look at her with confusion but got it when she pointed to her stomach. This time is was Derek's turn to turn red and he shook is head. "Don't worry Case. I understand. We can even sleep in different beds if you want. We have a spare bedroom for Edwin or Lizzie when they come to visit."

"No, that's not necessary. I just wanted to let you know not to expect intimacy." Casey blushed again and Derek smirked. She decided to change the subject.

"So, tell me, what's new in the Venturi-McDonald household?"

"Well, Marti is 15 now. She is the same as she was when she was 6 only much smarter and even more energetic. She still manages to keep us all young."

"Marti, at 15? That will be a interesting sight."

"Oh, just you wait. Dad and Nora had a kid."

"No, way. Wait? What does that make him to us?"

"He is our half-brother."

"Aww, they had a boy! This is so exciting. What is his name?" Casey was now fully awake and interesting in learning about the family's adventures.

"That is a surprise."

"Oh, fine… I will find out soon enough." Casey jumped up and down in her seat. "Owe!" She grabbed her stomach.

Derek instantly went into protective father mode. "Case, what's wrong? The baby? Do we need to get to the hospital? I could turn right here. The hospital is 10 miles away." Derek stopped ranting when he noticed that Casey was smiling at him. "What?"

"It kicked. Derek, I really am pregnant!"

Derek smiled at her. "Haven't we already established that?"

"But now its real. I know now! I felt my baby."

"Our baby."

"…Yeah, Our baby…"

"…"

"What about Edwin and Lizzie? What's new with them?"

"They are both 21. Edwin is in college. He is studying accounting."

Casey laughed. "That seems to fit him."

"Yeah. Lizzie is working on a degree in sports training. She wants to coach professional soccer."

"Derek? I don't think I ever asked. Do I have a career?"

He laughed. "Yeah. You were… are a designer. You design jewelry and scarves."

"And what does the great Derek Venturi do?" She laughed waiting for him to tell her he was unemployed.

"I am assistant principle at our old high school."

"No way. You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. The kids fear and respect me so it works out."

They pulled into the driveway of the place they called home so many times. Casey remembered it looking the same as it did now. A wave of memories came over her. Most of them were about her and Derek when they were 15 but one memory she could not recall having before.

"_Case, I'm sorry. I had no idea." Derek was sitting next to Casey on her bed while she was crying._

"_How could he? He had no right to just break up with me right before the dance. No right."_

"_Sam is my best friend but I had no idea he was going to do this."_

"_He said he was going with Emily. He not only broke up with me, he broke up with me for my best friend! Derek, my life is over! I lost my boyfriend and best friend in the same day." She grabbed the nearest pillow and sobbed into it. _

"_Come on Case, don't be such a drama queen! Get over it. No wonder Sam broke up with you. I bet Emily isn't a crying mess all the time."_

_She lifted her head from the pillow and looked at him. One look at her face told Derek that he went to far. _

"_Get out!" She spat at Derek while a new set of tears fell down her already red face._

"_Case, I didn't mean it."_

"_Yeah you did. Go ahead and be 'buddy, buddy' with Sam and Emily. You are just like them." She stood up and pushed him towards the door._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Yeah right! Don't lie to me, Derek Venturi! You don't care about my feelings anymore then Sam does."_

_Derek went to reach for Casey's arm but she pulled away. _

"_Come here, Case."_

"_NO!"_

_Without any warning, Derek grabbed her arm and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Before she could react, he was stroking his hand through her hair. She crumbled and fell into his hug, weeping against his shoulder. _

"_It will be okay, Case," he whispered into her hair. "I'll take you to the dance."_

"Case… you in there?" Derek said waving a hand in front of her face.

"Yeah."

"Ready to go in?" He smiled at her and held out his hand to her.

She smiled back at him, took his hand and stepped out of car. "Ready as I'll ever be."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- I do not own LWD or any of its characters.

I Will Remember You

Derek knocked on the door and a girl with long brown hair opened the door. Her pigtails swung from side to side as excitedly greeted the couple.

"Smerek! Casey"

Casey finally got why she looked so familiar.

"Marti?"

"Yeah, of course it's me."

When Casey kept the same surprised look on her face, Derek leaned into his sister's questioning look and said, "I'll explain it later, just act normal."

Marti smiled warmly at her stepsister as she stepped aside to let them in. "Come in, I'll around up the rest of the family." Marti exclaimed.

Marti ran around the house while Casey watched her in disbelief. She was definitely not the little sister she remembered. She was much taller and leaner. She had acted even for perkier then before. "Is Marti a cheerleader now?" she asked Derek.

Yeah, she's captain, why?"

"No reason." Casey had a strange feeling that she was in for more surprises. She had been right. She hardly had a chance to sit down before Lizzie and Edwin came into the living room holding hands. Casey gave another questioning look to Derek sitting next to her. Derek grabbed her hand, squeezed it and looked at the happy couple, forgetting that Casey was still confused. Casey could hardly take this all in and exploded when George and Nora come in holding hands a toddler; she ran up the stairs to her room.

"Oh, no."

Derek chased after her and found her opening the door to her bedroom.

"Case, you might not want to go in there."

He got in front of her and blocked her view of the door. Casey glared at him and demanded that he move. When he didn't move out of the way, she screamed,

"Derek, let me into my room."

Shocked and slightly frightened from his wife's outburst of anger, Derek grabbed the knob himself and slowly opened the door. Casey ran into her room expecting to throw herself onto the bed, but the bed had been replaced with a long wooden desk. She looked around the room. It had been repainted green and where her dresser and desk used to be there were floor to ceiling bookshelves. Her parents had redone her room and turned it into a home office. She collapsed into the middle of the room and started weeping.

"I can't handle this!" she whined.

Derek got on his knees next to her. He wrapped his right arm around her shoulder and use the left arm to wipe away her tears that would not stop falling. "Shh… You can do this Case," he murmured softly as she sat there rocking herself back and forth.

"This is not happening, it's all a dream." She started sobbing into Derek's shirt. "Wake me up Derek. I need you to wake me up."

Derek slowly and carefully pulled Casey into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her holding her tight. He had always hated seeing Casey cry and seeing the mother of his child in so much agony broke him down.

Casey felt something wet hit the back of her. She looked up and turned to head around to see Derek. He had his eyes closed and tears were slowly making their way down his face. Casey thought she would be shocked to see Derek cry, but somehow she remembered the first time she had seen it.

"_Oh my God Derek. I wish you would just die."_

_There were having a routine fight but this one was different. Casey had brought up Derek's mom and how she never visits him. As a comeback and because he was thrown of by Casey's statement, he replied, "At least my mom does not pretend to care by visiting like your dad."_

"_What?"_

"_Come on Casey. He has a new life now. Why should he care about the old one he left behind!"_

_Casey gave him a death glare and before Derek actually understood what he had said, she wished he would die and stormed for her room._

"_Casey! That just came out. I did'nt mean it," Derek exclaimed as he chased her up the stairs. Casey stopped at the last step. She turned to face Derek, revealing her bloodshot eyes and tear streaked cheeks. Derek grimaced as she continued to cry. _

"_No Derek. You can't lie out of this one. It's true; Why would love his firstborn after he left to start anew? Me and Lizzie are probably burdens now!" Casey turned and continued to run to her room where she could lock herself away from Derek. Derek followed her and grabbed both of her arms before she could escape into her room. _

"_Listen to me! I did not mean it."_

"_Let go of me!"_

"_Not until you believe me."_

"_Why is this so important to you?"_

_Upon seeing Casey's tears and her anger towards him, he let a lone tear fall down his face. Casey softened and stopped struggling under his grip. _

"_Are you crying?"_

_Derek stiffened and looked down. "No, why would you say that?"_

_Casey wiggled out of one of her hands and touched the wet part of his face with her finger. Casey stood amazed. She chuckled a little through her own tears. "Derek Venturi is crying real tears."_

_Derek rolled his eyes. "Don't make a big deal out of it. Just stop crying, Case."_

"_Why?"_

"_Remember? I don't do tears."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I just don't."_

"_Derek!"_

"_Fine. I hate to see you cry because I always cause the tears and I don't ever try to purposely hurt you."_

_Casey used her free hand to wipe her own tears. Then she traced her Derek's tear streak with her finger. Derek grabbed her other hand and they locked fingers. They stood there for 5 minutes just staring into each others' eyes, noticing things in them they've never realized. Then, as if they fell out of some kind of trace, they broke apart and walked towards their separate rooms. Derek turned around._

"_By the way, you're dad really does love you." Derek smiled at Casey. Casey smiled back and entered her room. _

_Derek muttered, "It's one of the many things we have in common." Little did he know that she heard him._

Casey grabbed Derek's shirt and sobbed into it. "Derek, you don't have to cry. This time it's not your fault that I am crying."

Derek opened his eyes and looked down at her. She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back through his tears. He then kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

Casey laid her head against his chest and sighed. "I know."

They sat like this until they heard coughing. They looked around and saw Lizzie and Edwin in the doorway.

"Lunch is ready," Lizzie said.

"Thanks Liz," replied Derek, "We'll be down in a bit."

Upon getting a good look at their faces. Edwin asked, "Are you alright Casey?"

"I'll explain it later," Derek said.


End file.
